


red velvet with black lace

by andrewslodge



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Archie owns a store, Baker!Archie, F/M, Fashion Designer!Veronica, Fluff, M/M, New York City, Slow Burn, Unhappy Realtionships, Unplanned Pregnancy, Varchie!Centric, alternative universe, mentions of cheating, more tags to come, multi-chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27648698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andrewslodge/pseuds/andrewslodge
Summary: when she moves back to New York after some time away, Veronica is hit with more than one surprise.or the AU where Archie runs a bakery and Veronica uses it as a way to escape her life.
Relationships: Adam Chisholm/Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews/Nancy Woods, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Elio Grande/Kevin Keller, More tags to come - Relationship
Comments: 10
Kudos: 20





	red velvet with black lace

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone (:
> 
> Y'all are probably like "omg she's starting a new fic! why hasn't she carried the other one on?" And that is simply because I'm not commited to the other fic. Now, I've had the idea for this fic for a long time and I've finally put it into words. 
> 
> I am no way abandoning The Sun In The Sky, but this will be my priority. I'm sorry if you're not happy with that.
> 
> Anyways, please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think! 
> 
> Thank you to Jess for looking over it for me (:

**_PART 1_ **

_Saturday, September 1st, 2018._

The day Veronica Lodge found herself back in New York City, should have been one of the best of her life. But instead, here she is, freshly single and disowned from her family.

As a child, and even a teenager, she had never felt what loneliness was until the day her parents chose _him over her._ Veronica is still surrounded by friends, _amazing_ friends, but she can’t help but feel alone when her own parents want nothing to do with her.

Adam had been an amazing boyfriend at first. After meeting him during her last year in college, Veronica had fallen for him quicker than she had expected, or even wanted. Veronica Lodge didn’t have boyfriends. But somehow, Adam Chisholm was the exception.

With his light brown locks and emerald eyes, Veronica was infatuated. 

At the time, she wasn’t aware of how fast they were moving, and maybe that’s what led to their demise, but they were living their best lives. Or so she thought.

By two months in, Veronica had agreed to give up her Park Avenue penthouse to move in with him, and by four months in, they were engaged. 

But she could never say those three little words. 

Her fiance — _ex-fiance_ —had never brought the topic up, not even when he would say it, and she wouldn’t say it back. It wasn’t until she caught him in _her_ bed with another woman that he seemed to care about _I love you’s_. It wasn’t until Veronica uprooted her whole life to move to France with him, that he cared. 

_“What were you expecting to happen, Veronica?” Adam questions. “You don’t even love me!”_

It had broken her heart when the words had left his mouth. She _does_ love him, she has from the moment she met him. So why couldn’t she tell him?

_“And you still have nothing to say?” He cries, her silence deafening. “I had so much planned out for us, Veronica, so much that you led me to throw away.”_

Veronica remembers never being more angry in her life. She remembers laughing at the audacity he had to blame her for his mistakes, after fucking another woman. 

_“I moved my whole life for you!” She screams back to him, and this time, it takes him a while to think up an answer._

_“You moved here for your parents, Veronica, not for me.”_

The words are still fresh in her mind, and as she walks into her new apartment, a tear runs down her face. Veronica hadn’t expected to be back in New York so soon, not after only eleven months in Paris, but now here she stands, in an empty living room, with nothing to remind her of the last year and a half of her life. 

Veronica thinks back to the past often, and it all makes sense to her now. They were engaged for almost two years, with no talk about ever _actually_ getting married. Hell, he was right, she couldn’t even say _I love you._

Losing Adam wasn’t the worst of the past week, either. Her parents taking his side, even after he cheated on her, is what topped it off, and encouraged her to go far away. 

“Where do I start?” Veronica sighs as she looks around the penthouse, boxes stacked up to the ceiling. 

One good thing that has come from moving back to America, is that her Abuelita (one of the only people she has left) called her up before her flight back to New York, to inform her of an amazing job opportunity she has in place for her granddaughter. 

_“I’ll always look out for you, Vero, always.”_

Knowing she has to start work on Monday, Veronica figures she should try and pack away her more important items like her skin care and her clothes. She somehow finds the energy to move the correctly-labelled boxes into the right rooms, and she’s grateful that her apartment is relatively small (and that she let Adam keep all their shared things) so it doesn’t take as long as she expected, to pack everything away. 

There’s hardly any furniture in the penthouse, except for her bed and a couch. She has a TV mounted on the wall, but she knows she’ll hardly use it, not once she’s settled with work. 

It’s just right for Veronica, though. She’s never liked clutter and she can finally live how she wants to live.

-

Once all her necessities are away, and she can finally sit down and relax, Veronica hears her phone ringing from her bedroom. She sighs as she stands up, hoping that whoever is calling her, isn’t one of her parents. 

_Why would it be?_ She thinks to herself. _They disowned you, Veronica._

When Veronica sees that it’s Betty calling, a smile spreads across her face. She hasn’t spoken to her best friends in a few days, and she can’t wait to just hear her voice. 

“V! Oh my god!” Betty squeals as soon as Veronica accepts the call. “Are you here?” 

Veronica giggles. “If by here, you mean New York, then yes, I’m here.”

“How are you doing?” 

The mood of the conversation changes rapidly and Veronica wishes she hadn’t asked. 

She takes a little longer to reply this time, and Betty stays silent too. “I’m okay, B, I’m happy to be away from the restraints.” 

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Betty’s voice is soft and Veronica appreciates the kindness in her voice.

Veronica hasn’t explained to anybody what happened, maybe because of pride or embarrassment, or maybe just because she hasn’t had the chance to, but she doesn’t want to hide from her friends — the people who actually care about her — and she especially doesn’t want to lie to them.

_No more lies._

“He cheated on me, Betty.” Veronica speaks quietly into the phone. “I moved across the world for him, and he cheated on me.”

Betty doesn’t answer immediately, and Veronica can tell she’s thinking about what to say. “I’m so sorry, Veronica.” The blonde sighs.

“My parents took his side, B. He fucked somebody else in our bed, and they took his side.”

Veronica can feel herself getting worked up so she takes a few breaths, willing her breathing to slow down. “That’s why I’m here, and they’re there with him.”

When Adam had first propositioned her about moving out to her parents in Paris, she had told him he was crazy, but after realising he was serious, Veronica had given him the benefit of the doubt and picked up her whole life to go to France. 

Her parents have lived in France since she was eighteen, and Veronica has never had the desire to go there with them, but when Adam had told her his passion for France, she couldn’t tell him no. 

“Have you spoken to any of them?” Betty asked. 

“No.” Is all she says. “My parents disowned me, Betty. They made it very clear that money and reputation is more important than their own daughter.”

Their conversation goes on for a little bit longer and it mainly consists of Betty making sure Veronica is okay but after an hour of being on the phone, Veronica says her goodbyes as she’s in need of fresh air.

-

She feels a sense of happiness as she walks through the Upper East Side. It reminds Veronica of why she loves the city, and why she never wanted to leave to begin with. 

Veronica ventures into a few of her favourite stores, including Gucci and Valentino. She doesn’t buy much, knowing that she has to carry it home again. As she’s strolling down Lexington Avenue, she spots a small store in the corner of her eye, hiding away. 

The subtle brown and cream colors are what draws her to the bakery, and the bright lights behind the _Vegas Bakery_ sign intrigues her more. She figures the store must be new as she’s walked down this very street thousands of times and never noticed the shop. 

A bell chimes when she pushes the door open, and there’s a small line of only a few people. She sees a beautiful display of patterned cupcakes next to a few large, decorated birthday cakes. 

The store is relatively small, and it’s colored with the same neutral tones as the outside, but for some reason, Veronica feels a rush of warmth fill her body at the smell of the bakery. 

Growing up, she had spent a lot of time in bakeries, her father using her sweet tooth to his advantage. Normally, they’d go out on a trip for cupcakes when he had done something wrong.

There are lights strung up all over the windows, and it makes the shop feel very cozy. She’s drawn to the hanging plants and modern artwork on the walls. There are four tables scattered around the floor, only one being occupied by a small family of three. She can picture herself spending a lot of time in this place. 

On the far wall, there’s a large sign attached to the wall that reads _Vegas Bakery_ and Veronica finds herself chuckling at the name. She finds it odd as they are quite clearly not in Nevada. 

“Can I help?” A male voice speaks from a few feet away.

Suddenly, the whole shop is empty and Veronica is very aware of the presence of the man. The raven-haired girl turns around at the sound of the voice, and she’s met with the most stunning, deep brown eyes and boldest red locks she’s ever seen. 

He’s wearing a chocolate colored polo-shirt, the same _Vegas Bakery_ logo embroidered on his chest. He has a white apron over the top, the material stained with what she assumes is frosting. His fiery hair is covered by a baseball cap that matches his shirt, but Veronica can still see how vibrant his hair is, and she can’t help but be drawn to it. _To him._

She realises she must have spaced out, and she can’t help but feel embarrassed. “I- uh, sorry.” She tries to continue her sentence but her words don’t come out. The redhead has a huge grin on his face as she blushes. “Sorry.” Veronica apologises again. 

“Don’t apologise.” He smiles. Veronica steps closer to the counter, _and to him._

His name badge reads _Archie_ , and she feels that the name suits his face perfectly. “Can I have a box of your vanilla cupcakes please?” _Archie_ agrees before he picks six of his sweet treats to put into a small cardboard box. 

“That is gonna be,” He pauses in between. “Ten dollars, please.” 

Veronica fishes the money from her purse and hands it over. 

“Thank you.” She smiles as she grabs the box of cupcakes. Just as she’s about to leave, Veronica slips a ten-dollar note into the sweetly decorated tip-jar. 

He chuckles at her slyness before thanking her kindness and wishing her best. Veronica leaves the shop with her desserts, and a small flutter in her chest. 

_What the fuck is wrong with you, Lodge?_

-

When she arrives home, Betty is standing outside her door, an excited expression on her face. 

“B? What are you doing here?” Veronica drops her bags (including the cupcakes) and runs to her bestfriends. It’s been eleven months since she has seen Betty and just the feeling of being wrapped in her best friends arms, makes Veronica cry.

“I missed you so much,” Veronica sobs into Betty’s shoulder.

“I needed to see you, V,” Betty replies, tears also streaming from her eyes. 

After growing up together, leaving Betty had been the hardest part of moving to France. 

They pull away after a few minutes so Veronica can open the door to the penthouse. Betty grabs the forgotten bags before they both walk into the apartment. 

“Are you really doing okay, V?” Betty questions. “I know you, you only shop at Gucci when you’re upset. And those cupcakes aren’t from Magnolia.” Veronica can’t help but chuckle at how well her friend knows her, but the raven-haired girl can’t forget that it’s her job.

“Don’t profile me, Elizabeth.” Veronica teases.

“It’s not profiling!” The blonde defends, knowing how much it irritates Veronica, when she _does_ profile her. “I’m worried about you, V.”

Veronica sighs. She loves Betty, she really does, but sometimes she wishes her friend would take a hint. “B, listen, my _fiance_ cheated on me after convincing me to move halfway across the world, and then blamed me for it, so no, I’m not okay.”

She tries to keep the tears from falling, but when she says the truth out loud, the twenty-three year old can’t help but let them. Betty pulls her into her arms. The blonde whispers comfort into her hair as Veronica sobs.

“And my parent’s, B,” Veronica sniffles as she pulls away from Betty’s embrace. “They told me if I don’t marry him, I’m cut off. It would be bad for their image if the media found out my engagement failed.” 

“I know they’re your parents, V, but you don’t need them. And you don’t need him,” Betty’s words are reassuring to hear. Veronica wipes her eyes and smiles, sadly. “How about we eat some of those cupcakes?”

The two chuckle before Veronica pulls Betty into another hug, thanking her quietly. She knows things aren’t good, but she has hope that they’ll get better. 

Veronica sits on the new, cream leather couch as Betty grabs the treats from the kitchen counter. 

“Where are these from?” She asks. 

“Oh, some place on Lexington.” 

-

_Saturday, September 1st, 2018_

  
  


He’s awoken by warm licks to his face, and the heavy breathing of his three-month-old puppy, Max. And before he can even open his eyes, Archie hears the voice of his roommate shouting for the dog. 

“Good morning, buddy,” Archie smiles just before Munroe shows up at the door.

“Sorry, Red,” Munroe apologises, his hand running through his short hair. “I tried to stop him.” 

Archie chuckles as he sits up, his chest bare and his bottom half covered by his comforter. The alarm clock reads _seven-twenty-two_ and the redhead is thankful he doesn’t open the bakery until nine. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Archie grins. The puppy is out of the sight by now, and Munroe is standing in his doorway, a look of confusion across his face.

“I thought Nancy was staying over last night,” Munroe says with a raised eyebrow and now his confusion makes sense to Archie. His friend wasn’t worried about Max waking him up, but instead, he was worried about interrupting him and his girlfriend. _The girlfriend that isn’t there._

“Oh, uh, she cancelled.” The redhead explains. Him and Nancy haven’t been in the best of terms lately, his job taking up a lot of his time. Nancy had loved the idea of Archie opening up his first bakery at first, until she realised how much time has to go into his business. 

Nancy often spoke of her distaste towards the bakery, but Archie’s learnt to brush it off even though he knows how shitty that makes him look. 

Archie couldn’t help but feel irritated towards his girlfriends when she expressed her dislike for his business because for the past year, he’s put everything he has into running the bakery. His mom and her wife, Brooke, had helped him a lot too. He’s so grateful the two of them invested in him so it was possible to open.

“When was the last time you saw her, man?” Munroe questions. Archie doesn’t answer straight away, instead he pushes his comforter off and stands out of his bed. The twenty-five year old pulls a pair of sweatpants to cover himself up before he leads Munroe out of his room and into the small kitchen of their shared Manhattan apartment. 

Archie starts the coffee machine before replying. “Oh, a few days ago.” 

The kitchen is very minimal, the walls painted white with one wall tan bricks, and the wood on the floor is a dark grey. The cabinets are a simple white too, to match the dark appliances, and it’s the uncomplicatedness of the place that drew the men to the apartment to begin with.

There’s an island in the middle of the room with a few stools surrounding it as their make-shift dining table. As they hardly have any time for friends to come over, the need for a larger dining area isn’t needed. 

“Archie, you were visiting your mom in Chicago, a few days ago,” Munroe reminds him. Archie loves his best friend, he really does, but the constant intrusion into his relationship gets on his nerves.

“Okay, so maybe a week,” Archie huffs out. Max then decides it’s the perfect time to interrupt as he barks for somebody to feed him. Archie pats the puppy on his head before grabbing his kibble out of the cabinet. The redhead fills up his bowl before placing it on the floor for Max to eat. “I’m sure I’ll see her soon.”

Munroe raises an eyebrow which Archie ignores, changing the subject before Munroe can interrogate him. 

“I’m gonna grab breakfast at work, can you walk Maxi?” The redhead asks, refusing to talk about Nancy any longer. 

“Man, talk to me,” Munroe pleads. Archie knows he means well, and honestly, if Munroe was having any problems himself (because he and Nancy are), Archie would want him to console him. 

This time, Archie stops what he’s doing and looks to his roommate. “She told me she loves me, and I didn’t say it back,” His voice breaks at the end of his statement, remembering the look on Nancy’s face.

_“I love you, Archie-Bear.” She spoke with her head on his chest. “I know it’s only been a few months, but I love you.”_

He had pretended to be asleep, using the fact that they’d just had sex to his advantage. She knows he likes to sleep afterwards. At the time, Archie believed he had gotten away with it, or even that she had gotten the hint that he wasn’t ready, but as a few days flew by Archie figured she knew by the way she was acting. He felt like a jerk. 

“What’s stopping you?” The dark-haired man asks. Archie takes a seat on one of the stools, his head beginning to throb. 

“I do love her, bro, but I’m not _in love_ with her.” Archie explains. “I can’t say it if I don’t mean it. I haven’t said it since I was sixteen, and look how that ended.” 

He can’t help but let out a sigh. He really doesn’t want to think back to his teenage years. 

“Then you should tell her, Red. If it’s not serious for you, you _have_ to tell her that,” Munroe speaks, and Archie knows he’s right. He can’t be a dick by leading her on.

“Yeah, I know.” 

-

Archie takes longer than usual to get ready for work, his mind not working with the rest of his body. He feels fatigued, and although his head is still hurting, it’s calmed down slightly. He dresses in a brown polo-shirt -- one with the bakery’s name on -- and a pair of dark jeans, matching them with a black jacket and a pair of sneakers. 

He doesn’t bother eating at home, deciding he would rather open the shop up early and grab a pastry there instead. Just as he’s about to leave, Archie phone lights up with his new employee’s name, _Lia._

Archie sighs. It wasn’t his idea to hire somebody to help him out in the store, in fact it was Nancy who had suggested it, hoping for Archie to be less busy. Her niece Amalia made the perfect candidate. 

He’s regretting it now.

 _“I’m so sorry, Mister Andrews!”_ She shouts down the phone, followed by a _very_ fake cough. _“I’m too sick to come to work.”_

The redhead lets out a huff. She’s only been working for him for three weeks, and she’s been in four times. How does he tell his girlfriend that her niece has no work ethic? That she’s no help to him?

“I saw the pictures, Lia.” Archie sighs. “Don’t bother coming in at all.” He doesn’t mean to sound harsh, but Archie is fed up of being played around. 

_“Pictures? I-I, don’t know what you’re talking about, Mister A.”_ She says quietly.

“Really?”

“Okay, I’m sorry! Please give me another chance.” Amalia pleads. “My mom and Aunt Nancy will kill me if I lose another job.”

Deciding to be a good person — _or maybe a stupid one_ \-- Archie agree’s to give her one more chance. He gives the teenager the day, making her promise that when she comes back on Monday, she’s actually going to try and work hard. 

Archie wastes no more time waiting in his apartment and he heads to his car for the short journey to the bakery. It only takes around fifteen minutes without bad traffic, so Archie knows he’ll be able to open up before nine.

  
-  
  


Luckily, the traffic isn't terrible and Archie arrives in the Upper East Side just in time to open the door. The redhead knows he won’t have business straight away -- except for the businessmen who come in for coffee -- so he doesn’t rush to prepare the days pastries and desserts. 

He has a few cake orders to make, but they’re not being collected until later in the day or even the next day, so he figures he can finish them after the lunch rush. 

The clock reads _11:23 AM_ when he looks again and just as he’s about to walk into the back, a family of four enter the building. Archie greets them and takes their order before watching them choose which table to sit at. 

A few more people come in and Archie happily serves them. 

After the store has emptied — save for the young family— Archie notices a woman with raven hair and chocolatey brown eyes. She looks a little lost and Archie can’t help but smile at the mystery girl. 

He doesn’t interrupt her at first, instead he takes her all in. He’s probably staring, and it’s probably creepy, but honestly, Archie doesn’t care. He’s mesmerised by her dark locks, and he takes notes on how they pool around her shoulders. Archie notices how she pushes a piece of hair behind her ear and she most likely doesn’t realise she’s doing it. Something about her just draws him in.

She seems to be looking around the bakery, and Archie realises she’s most likely new to the city, or at least new to the Upper East Side as there’s a look of fascination across her face.

_He couldn’t be more wrong._

When Archie comes to the conclusion that she _must_ have looked around the whole store, he decides to make his presence known. 

“Can I help?” He questions, a smile invading his lips. 

The young family startles Archie when they stand up to leave. _Mystery Girl_ — Archie decides to call her— _finally_ looks towards him and her eyes are the most beautiful thing he’s ever laid _his_ eyes upon.

She’s wearing a simple, black dress with a white collar. It stops just above her knees and Archie can’t help but linger his look on her _perfect_ legs. He notices the pearl necklace around her neck, and there’s some around her wrist too. Her skin is flawless in his opinion, and Archie loves the shade she has painted on his lips.

He feels a little — or a lot — creepy for staring so intensely at her, and luckily she speaks before he can continue. 

“I- uh, sorry,” She stutters. Archie can’t help but grin further, especially when she looks towards the floor as she fiddles with her hands. _Is she blushing?_ “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologise,” Archie replies. The dark-haired girl steps closer to him, and Archie finds himself slightly anxious. 

“Can I have a box of your vanilla cupcakes please?” He responds with a _yes, of course_ before he gloves up and collects the correct cupcakes. Archie finds a box to put the treats in and proceeds to pack them up. 

“That is gonna be,” He starts before trying to remember his prices. For some reason, he can’t think straight. “Ten dollars please.”

Archie waits patiently for her to grab the cash from her purse. He thanks her quietly before she speaks again. 

“Thank you.” She speaks, a small smile present on her face. Just as she walks away, Archie notices her fish out a ten-dollar note before she slips it into the tip jar, his nephew — or Kevin and Elio’s little boy — decorated for him. 

He can’t help but chuckle at how sneaky she is trying to be and before Archie knows it, she’s walking out of the shop. 

“Can I ask your name-” 

She’s gone by the time he finishes, and his heart is beating hard in his chest. 

He really wishes he got her name.

  
-

_Sunday, September 2nd 2018._

She wakes up feeling lonelier than the day before. 

When Veronica eventually finds the energy to leave her bed, she starts with a warm bath to soothe her muscles that seem to be aching more lately. She knows it’s probably just stress. 

She’s not sure how long she stays in the tub but once her fingers start to prune, she climbs out and gets herself ready for the day.

Veronica doesn’t like to do much on a Sunday, but she’s not one of these people who can stay in her pyjamas all day. She finds a comfortable outfit for the day and proceeds to braid her hair. 

Deciding to do some unpacking, Veronica grabs the box for the bathroom so she can put the stuff away. 

There’s a cool breeze flowing through her bedroom window and it makes Veronica feel glad to be back in _her_ city. The air smells like New York and she loves it. The city is the one thing her parents or Adam can’t take away from her. 

It’s the thought of Adam that makes her miss it at first. As she’s packing away her toiletries, she’s too far gone into her own thoughts to realise that she has two unopened boxes of tampons. 

She finally realises when Adam disappears from her head and a sudden wave of panic hits instead. 

“Fuck,” She mumbles. 

There’s not much she can do in the moment. Instead she bursts into tears. There’s been a small incline for a while, but Veronica never thought it would happen to her. They were always safe, but as it came to the end, they got lazy.

She feels _so_ irresponsible.

Veronica can’t help but sob at the thought of carrying _his_ child, and honestly she has no idea what to do. 

_Betty will know._

The raven-haired princess finds her phone and dials her best friend's number.

It rings for only a few seconds.

“B, I need a pregnancy test.”

  
  
_TBC_

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @softvxrchie


End file.
